My Old Kentucky Podcast

Sheri Donahue, Fancy Farm Wrap Up, Blackjewel Update, and Moscow Mitch

This week, the Democratic nominee for Auditor, Sheri Donahue joined our show.  She spoke at length about using the Auditor's office to deal with cybersecurity issue facing our state's election infrastructure, as well as why she decided to get into politics in the first place.  Ms. Donahue had plenty to say, and we are excited to share her vision with you.
Fancy Farm was last week.  We have a full wrap up, including which zingers we liked and which jokes fell flat.  Jazmin updated the Blackjewel mining story, telling us what's going on with the bankruptcy case, and we also talked about the KDP's response to Mitch McConnell's new least favorite nickname, "Moscow Mitch"

Perry Bacon, Jr. and Super Quick Hits

This week we welcomed Perry Bacon Jr. of FiveThirtyEight and Insider Louisville to the podcast.  We talked about Kentucky politics from a national perspective, touching specifically on the 2019 Gubernatorial race, the 2019 Attorney General's race, and the 2020 U.S. Senate race.  Perry even got us to talk about the Presidential race, and we revealed our favorite candidate for the highest office in the land.
Only five days have elapsed since our last show, but we had plenty of quick hits to cover -- the end of Insider Louisville, Andy Beshear's ethics plan, Sen. Dan Seum's endorsement of Andy Beshear, and plenty more!

Special Session, New US Senate Candidate, Commonwealth Caucus

This week, Jazmin and Robert talked about the Special Session, which started and ended between episodes.  Then, they discuss the entrance of Mike Broihier to the U.S. Senate race, and a new caucus that has formed in the Kentucky House of Representatives.

Local Governments featuring Wesley Bolin & Emily LaDouceur, Special Session Dates, US Senate Update, and Sanctuary Cities

This week, we spoke with two city council members from different parts of the state: Emily LaDouceur from Berea and Wesley Bolin from Murray.  They spoke about the challenges of managing their elected office while maintaining a career, being taken seriously as a younger person in politics, using social media, and lots more.  It was a great conversation -- if you have ever thought about running for city council in your town, you definitely should listen!
We also talked about plenty of news: the "quasis" special session officially has a date, so we talked about that and also went over the Democratic plan for dealing with the issue (we've talked about the GOP plan at length).  We also talked about plenty of speculation around the Democratic side on next year's U.S. Senate election, where it appears like Amy McGrath will fail to clear the field.  We also addressed Matt Bevin's new focus on sanctuary cities, which we decide is probably an attempt to nationalize the Governor's race.  Plus, as always, QUICK HITS.

Michael Bowman, Amy McGrath Declares, Marsy's Law Update, Coal Politics, + More!

We are excited to be back after a week off!  In this week's episode, we spoke with Michael Bowman, the Democrat running for Treasurer.  He told us why he wants to be Treasurer, what he would do with the position, and the keys to his big victory in May.  We also talked a bit about campaigning in Kentucky and what he's learned on the trail this year.
We also talked a bit about the first day of Amy McGrath's campaign to take on Mitch McConnell, a new petition to SCOKY about Marsy's Law, an attempt by some in the GOP to take out Thomas Massie, and some stories involving coal politics in Eastern Kentucky: Gov. Bevin's promise to give coal counties 100% of coal severance tax revenue, and the bankruptcy of Blackjewel.  Plus, more!

Rep. Lisa Willner, Gov. Bevin Says He's Got The Votes, and Metro Council Budget Cuts

This week on the podcast, we welcomed Rep. Lisa Willner of Louisville.  She talked to us about her first legislative session, and spoke in depth about each of the four bills on which she was the chief sponsor.  We also talked about bring her experience as a psychologist to Frankfort and the impact her expertise has on the policy making process.
Jazmin and Robert updated two of the major stories we've been tracking this summer: the budget cuts in Louisville and the probability of a special session.  Gov. Bevin says he now has the votes for his quasis bill, and Metro Council in Louisville has released their version of the budget cuts (between recording and publication, the council did approve the cuts proposed by their budget committee).  And as always, we have QUICK HITS.

Michael Gray Explains Lobbying, SCOKY Rulings, and Lt. Gov Drama Featuring Morgan Eaves

This week MOKP welcomed Michael Gray -- a lobbyist who does a lot of work in Frankfort.  Mr. Gray explained how his job works, and he spoke very candidly about the power lobbyists hold in Frankfort and in the legislative process everywhere.
Jazmin is out this week, so Morgan Eaves of Richmond filled in for her!  Morgan told us about two major rulings at the Kentucky Supreme Court, and Robert covered a very dramatic week at the Lt. Governor's office.  Plus, plenty of Quick Hits.

Pride Week with Chris Hartman, Another Special Session Update, and Certification of the Primary

It's Pride Week!  In honor of that, we welcomed Chris Hartman, director of Kentucky's Fairness Campaign, to talk about the past, present, and future of the LGBTQ rights movement in Kentucky.  Topics included cities where fairness is being actively discussed, what it will take to win a statewide fairness law, and why it's important to include both caucuses in the legislature.
We also updated several stories we've discussed before: another update on the prospect of a special session, Alison Lundergan Grimes' complaints about the vote certification process, West Virginia's governor settling with several Kentucky counties, and lots of Quick Hits!

Rep. Angie Hatton, Special Session, Libraries, & US Senate Speculation

This week, we welcome Rep. Angie Hatton of Whitesburg to the show.  She talked to us about Whitesburg, what she's learned since she joined the legislature in 2017, and what we needed to know about southeastern Kentucky.
We also did an update on the special session, Louisville's libraries, Alison Lundergan Grimes' tough day in court, and we did some baseless speculation about the US Senate race.
NOTE: this episode was recorded Monday, before the most recent news about the special session.  Apparently Governor Bevin has agreed to some changes in his bill: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2019/06/05/bevin-revises-pension-bill-to-win-needed-votes-for-special-legislative-session/1359664001/

Rep. Terri Branham Clark, Special Session Update, Negative Ads, & Passport Sale

This week, we welcomed back Rep. Terri Branham Clark of Boyd County.  We spoke with her about the incredible performance of Rocky Adkins in Eastern Kentucky, and what Andy Beshear needs to do to shore up support in that part of the state.  She also talked about serving in her first legislative session, her approach to working on bills, and how she plans to tweak her approach next year.
Before the interview, Robert updated us about the Special Session, Jazmin talked through the negative ads already permeating the campaign, and Robert talked about the sale of Passport to the for-profit Evolent Health.  Plus, Quick Hits!